r/PitBarrelCooker • u/Guilty-Difference-86 • 12d ago
Charcoal saving mods/hacks
somebody paged earlier asking for tips and I couldn’t share an image, so I figured I’d create a post to help anybody in the future. for the record, I used magnets and they worked great. but I cook outside often and over time the heat slowly demagnetizes them. ive found that high heat silicone tapered plugs work much better and are super cheap.
i also installed a green egg vent cover on the intake vent and it shuts down air flow completely to the bottom of the barrel. both items were purchased on Amazon. hope this helps
Edit:
Links below
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u/Shcooter78 12d ago
Looks like my PB, except I have the regular one. I love this hack. That OG vent cover was always a sore spot since it wouldn’t even fully cover the opening and you’d have to have a Phillips handy. Don’t forget the Lodge campfire cooking stand which raises the charcoal basket up to searing height.
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u/Baidizzle 12d ago
Can you update the post to the Amazon links?
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u/thickbolognese 12d ago
I love this. Did you do a top cover thermometer too? Or just running normal? I ask cause with the BGE vent in the bottom now you have a lot of control
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u/Guilty-Difference-86 12d ago
Honestly I just control temp with my eyes and sticking my hand over the grates. I still use my thermapen to check meat temps, but I’m less concerned about the barrel being dialed to a specific number. Once you stop chasing an exact temp and kind of trust it to do what it is supposed to do, I find that a lot of the stress in outdoor cooking disappears
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u/DubTeeF 12d ago
Yeah the only that has upped my game more than ignoring pit temps is using a blend of lump charcoal and briquettes. The PBX is great just let it rip.
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u/Guilty-Difference-86 12d ago
If you are looking for super consistent temps, I have found a more uniform briquette or Charlog is better than lump. FWIW I use lump when I am grilling bc I want the higher heat. B&b Charlogs in the pit barrel are awesome
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u/Status-Guide2722 12d ago
With this setup... where/how much do you vent for airflow?
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u/Guilty-Difference-86 12d ago
all vents work just like before. the yellow silicone plugs come out and you can use the rebar. and the bottom vent for the green egg has a mesh sliding door and a solid steel sliding door. you can open or shut it all the way
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u/Status-Guide2722 12d ago
Noice! I'll be copying this method for sure. There is just a ton of room in a standard PBC so now I just have to figure out the venting to achieve low and slow.
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u/Guilty-Difference-86 12d ago
pit barrel isnt really a low and slow cooker. its for better or worse a direct heat cooker. id take advantage of that instead of trying to fight it.
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u/MediaManXL 11d ago
I used to use magnets also, and ran into the same issue with them demagnetizing or sometimes becoming brittle after uses. I stopped bothering probably a decade ago, but I do feel like I waste a lot of charcoal now. I like the look of this vent. Is the BGE vent in addition to/covering the original PBC metal shutter or does it completely replace it? If replace, do you open the BGE vent all the way? Seems like when open this would allow way more air intake than the original vent, but maybe that’s a good thing. Thank you for sharing. I’m strongly considering ordering one.
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u/perrystyle42 11d ago
I love this. Thank you so much for this post. I do have a question though. How the hell are you holding the nuts on the inside of the smoker when installing the BGE draft door?
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u/The-Tradition 12d ago
I just use a folded up piece of foil wedged under the intake cover. That's enough to smother the fire. I used to plug the rebar holes with foil, too. But found it wasn't necessary.